In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 222 Kneel down first, then I'll ask you some questions.
At the same time, a hidden meridian in Zhou Zhiruo's body that had been unable to open for a long time was suddenly broken open.

However, Zhou Zhiruo was completely unaware of the condition inside her body.

At this moment, Zhou Zhiruo seemed to be in a special state.

My tense consciousness was gently plucked as if by an invisible string.

Her heart was plunged into an unprecedented void and emptiness!
The chaotic flashes of swords, the heavy gusts of wind, and the cold glint of deadly hidden weapons before my eyes seemed to have all been stripped of their specific forms, leaving only blurry trails tracing across the viscous air.

It was as if everything had slowed down dozens of times, while his senses were magnified infinitely.

The monk's fierce expression, the energy swirling around his palm as he struck her, and the trajectories of the weapons wielded by the others around them—all these were clearly perceived by Zhou Zhiruo at that moment.

The details and content of the "Willow Catkin Sword Technique" and "Sword Three: Thousand Threads" that Gu Shaoan had once told her flashed through her mind like a fleeting moment.

However, those things that were previously mysterious and difficult for her to understand now sounded like morning bells and evening drums.

What was originally obscure and difficult to understand suddenly became simple and easy to understand.

In this special state, Zhou Zhiruo twisted and swayed her body.

The movement technique is still "The Three Appearances of the Divine Dragon".

However, at this moment, the "Three Appearances of the Divine Dragon" on Zhou Zhiruo was filled with the ethereal and disordered style of the "Willow Floss Sword Technique".

It was also in the sudden change of movement that the monk only felt a blur before his eyes and then lost sight of Zhou Zhiruo.

After dodging the monk's palm strike, Zhou Zhiruo shifted her body to the right by a distance of ten feet.

As the other weapons flashed through the air once more, he flicked his wrist.

In an instant, the sword light swept up like thousands of willow catkins in the wind, each with its own trajectory, yet all blending together as one.

Amidst the sword light, all the weapons swung towards Zhou Zhiruo were neutralized by her longsword's thrusts, points, parries, and deflections.

Unpredictable! Gathering and scattering unpredictably! Truth and falsehood hard to discern!

This is the sword in Zhou Zhiruo's hand at this moment.

"what!"

Seemingly sensing something was wrong, the monk let out a soft "eh".

As he turned and used his lightness skill to rush in front of Zhou Zhiruo, the heavy, mountain-like dragon claw print rose up and grabbed straight at Zhou Zhiruo's slender neck.

But the next second, the light and shadow suddenly parted before his eyes, and those drifting "willow catkins" of sword light somehow circled around to the side and below the claw mark. Countless fine, seemingly powerless sword energies, like sticky spider silk, gently and skillfully adhered to and wrapped around his wrist joints and fingertips, which were the most crucial points for him to exert force.

Like the faint hissing sound of boiling oil dripping onto a hot pan, these weak forces could not withstand the immense power, but they subtly interfered with and pulled the claw's momentum just as it was about to reach its peak.

The monk's seemingly inevitable palm strike involuntarily veered several inches, narrowly missing Zhou Zhiruo's afterimage! The violent force slammed into the open ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

"This swordsmanship?"

Even the monk was somewhat astonished by the change in Zhou Zhiruo's swordsmanship.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The man on the outskirts of the crowd, wielding a curved knife, launched a series of hidden weapons. However, just as they reached Zhou Zhiruo, she casually drew her longsword through the air.

It was as if thousands of willow catkins were swirling around Zhou Zhiruo, forming an invisible chaotic force field. When hidden weapons were shot into it, they were like moths flying into the eye of a raging storm, their direction instantly veered off course and their speed sharply reduced.

Several poisoned darts were even gently deflected by these special energies, and instead shot into the calves of the lean man attacking Zhou Zhiruo, startling him into letting out a cry of pain.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Zhiruo's feet seemed to be walking on clouds, and she rotated and shifted slightly, completely contrary to the norm.

Her entire rhythm was completely integrated with the drifting "willow catkin" sword light, as if she herself had transformed into a rootless willow catkin.

When she moved in front of the man holding the curved sword, Zhou Zhiruo stood on one foot and thrust out her sword.

"JX3, Qianliu".

Her sword light became lighter, more fleeting, and more scattered than ever before!
Like thousands of real willow catkins, they suddenly burst forth from the tip of her sword.

Vague and indistinct, yet omnipresent, with no discernible pattern.

One moment it seemed to be floating to the left front, the next it appeared like a ghost in the upper right sky. It looked as if it was lightly and harmlessly brushing towards the enemy's face, but in an instant it sank down and wrapped around his wrist and pointed at his ankle.

At this moment, the sword light seemed to have truly transformed into thousands of drifting willow catkins, dancing in the wind.

The man holding the curved sword narrowed his eyes, intending to raise his sword to defend himself.

Faced with this overwhelming "willow catkins," the man's face showed a look of bewilderment.

It was as if they had no idea how to defend themselves.

"Puff puff"

The next moment, tiny bursts of blood suddenly erupted from the man's body.

Only after a flower of blood appeared between his eyebrows did the man holding the scimitar finally collapse, powerless.

In contrast, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes flickered slightly.

Three zhang away, Gu Santong, who was standing with his arms crossed, took in Zhou Zhiruo's moves. His eyes flashed and a strange look appeared on his face.

"This girl is really lucky; she actually managed to reach the level of 'momentum' in a martial art."

"However, this week, the girl's 'momentum' in 'Jian San, Qian Liu' is somewhat different from that boy's 'momentum'."

Inside the venue.

After killing the man wielding the curved sword, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes flashed.

The figure "floated" out again.

Without hesitation, the longsword was raised again, and thousands of drifting sword fragments reappeared, carrying an elusive "disorderly" artistic conception, enveloping the more than ten people who were still in shock.

Faced with Zhou Zhiruo's move, the remaining enemies turned pale and were thrown into chaos!

At that moment, the monk who had been stunned had once again appeared in front of Zhou Zhiruo.

Faced with the "willow catkin" sword light that came again, the monk, just like before, had his body surging with energy, and his internal energy pulsating as he circulated his true essence.

As if he had been mentally prepared, the dragon and elephant energy emanating from the monk's body was even more powerful when he made his move this time.

This meant that when Zhou Zhiruo's sword light touched the monk, it could only leave a few white marks on his body, piercing his clothes but causing little harm.

Seeing this, Gu Santong shook his head.

Martial arts and internal energy are ultimately complementary.

Zhou Zhiruo's current "Sword 3: Thousand Willows" from the "Emei Sword Manual" has reached the "momentum" level, which means her strength has greatly increased.

But this move happens to be agile and elusive.

If this sword move were used against other Qi Condensation Realm martial artists, it would be enough to injure those with weaker Qi Condensation Realm martial artists.

However, the monk Zhou Zhiruo is currently facing is practicing a body-refining martial art called the "Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill".

It can be said that it is a natural counter to Zhou Zhiruo's sword technique.

If Zhou Zhiruo's internal energy cultivation also reaches the "Condensing Qi into Yuan" level later, and she uses true energy to drive her sword moves, the situation will naturally be different.

And things turned out exactly as Gu Santong had predicted.

Under the monks' terrifying dragon-elephant energy and resilient physique, even Zhou Zhiruo's sword move, which was extremely skillful, was like an ice crystal hitting a mountain rock.

Even if all the attacks passed through the monk's energy and landed on him, they still could not cause him any harm.

On the contrary, after repeatedly activating the martial arts of the "Emei Sword Manual", Zhou Zhiruo, whose internal energy was almost exhausted, lost all color in her face.

Under the force of each sword strike, Zhou Zhiruo took a half step back. She could no longer suppress the urge to vomit blood, which spilled from the corner of her mouth. Her body swayed violently, and she took two steps back before she could barely stand still!
Faced with Zhou Zhiruo's weakness, the monk clenched his right fist, gathering immense power, his muscles and bones like a dragon.

Accompanied by a deep, resonant roar, it tore through the air with the force of Mount Tai crashing down, striking Zhou Zhiruo's unsuspecting chest.

Even if Zhou Zhiruo were fully recovered, she might not be able to withstand that punch.

Not to mention that Zhou Zhiruo is now seriously injured and has almost no internal energy left.

As the force of the punch reached her body, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes dimmed, and her body became completely stiff due to the intense pain and backlash, even her movement of raising her sword was slow and frozen.

At the critical moment, a figure appeared silently in front of Zhou Zhiruo, as if he had always been there!

It was Gu Santong who watched the battle with his arms crossed the whole time.

Facing the deadly Dragon Elephant Fist, powerful enough to shatter metal and stone, he maintained his crossed arms, his lazy expression unchanged. The monk was startled to see Gu Santong suddenly appear between him and Zhou Zhiruo as if by teleportation.

"When?"

Although surprised, the monk did not stop his punch in the face of the sudden appearance of Gu Santong. Instead, he mobilized all the strength and true energy in his body and gathered it into this punch.

Even so, Gu Santong neither dodged nor blocked, nor did he show any intention of parrying.

Just cross your arms and wait for the punch!

The next instant, the monk's fist slammed into the center of Gu Santong's chest.

"Boom"

A deep, resounding crash, like the striking of a giant bell, suddenly erupted.

However, as the monk's fist landed, it was as if it had not struck a human body, but an immovable mountain forged from millennia-old cold iron!

Gu Santong remained as still as a rock, his arms still firmly wrapped around his body, while his clothes were violently tossed about by the force of the punch.

The monk's strong arm bones emitted a piercing "crackling" sound.

A terrifying recoil force surged from his fist, causing his internal organs to feel as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer, creating a turbulent upheaval.

After the monk staggered back seven steps, he coughed up a mouthful of thick blood.

His face was ashen, and his breath instantly sank to rock bottom.

When he looked up, besides the pain on his face, there was even more shock on his expression.

"how is this possible?"

Seeing the monk's shocked expression, Gu Santong's eyes flashed with disdain.

How could the ancient Santong be considered weak?

For others, Gu Santong remains the same "undefeated mischievous boy" he was twenty years ago.

He's not even a Qi Condensation Realm Warrior.

If you stand there and let me hit you, Gu Santong will never be the first to die.

Gu Santong lazily lowered his arms, as if brushing off non-existent dust from his clothes. He picked at his ear and said to the monk in the distance with a hint of disdain, "What? Not full? You can't even move me when you're standing here? Your esoteric 'Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill' is completely lacking in skill!"

At the same time, Zhou Zhiruo, who had just recovered from the suffocating feeling of death, looked at the disheveled back of the man who was protecting her like a mountain in front of her, and then looked at the monk in the distance who was spitting blood and barely breathing. Her expression was also stunned for a moment.

But the next second, as if recognizing Gu Santong, Zhou Zhiruo's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

Then, after swaying twice, he fell to the side.

Sensing Zhou Zhiruo's condition, Gu Santong's expression changed slightly, and then he turned around and put one hand on Zhou Zhiruo's shoulder.

At the same time, he stomped his right foot on the ground, and more than a hundred pieces of gravel on the ground were suddenly lifted into the air by a force.

He held Zhou Zhiruo's left hand without moving, while his right sleeve fluttered slightly as if only being blown by the wind.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh…”

The surrounding rubble instantly transformed into deadly streaks of light, shooting towards the group of people at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, accompanied by a shrill whooshing sound.

*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft...* The screams blended into a single, shrill chorus.

Those martial artists who were only at the Acquired Realm barely had time to react before their bodies were pierced by the rubble.

Before the blood could bloom, more than ten corpses stood frozen for a moment, then collapsed to the ground with a thud!

The remaining lean man reacted extremely quickly. The moment the stone was suspended in mid-air, he realized that death was imminent. He roared and pushed his internal energy to the limit, gripping the two daggers as if trying to block all the stones that were being shot at him.

However, before he could even swing his dagger, the first pebble arrived like lightning, colliding with the steel blade of the dagger and instantly piercing it as if it were tofu.

"puff"

The pebble pierced the dagger, its remaining force shattering the left shoulder blade that was protecting his chest.

The lean man's scream of agony was only half-finished when a second pebble, just inches away, struck, instantly piercing his headband, right shoulder blade, and both legs.

With a soft "plop," both of his shoulders were completely destroyed! "Ugh—!" The man's arms hung limply at his sides, and he collapsed to the ground, the excruciating pain causing him to groan and moan repeatedly.

As the last monk was being shot at, he forcefully suppressed his surging blood and qi, and once again channeled the Dragon Elephant Power within his body. His hands instantly transformed into dragon claws with dark golden luster and bulging veins, grabbing at the incoming stone.

The wind was sharp and dull.

But as soon as the monk's dragon claw contained its fierce energy touched the surface of the flying stone, a terrifying force far beyond his imagination, as heavy as a collapsing mountain, suddenly erupted from inside the stone.

This power is pure and domineering.

Under this force, the monk felt as if he were not grabbing a pebble.

Instead, it grabbed a massive boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds that had rolled down from the mountaintop.

The dragon-elephant energy that the monk was so proud of, which was powerful enough to split gold and shatter rocks, was like fragile glass being struck by a heavy hammer under this terrifying force. It was instantly shattered and annihilated by this immense power.

Immediately afterwards, the pebble, with overwhelming force, pierced through his hand and struck his vital chest and abdomen.

"boom!"

A dull, thunderous boom, like the pounding of a heavy drum, rang out, and the monk's chest suddenly caved in, his protective energy completely shattered.

He felt as if he had been struck head-on by a charging elephant, his burly body trembling violently! Unable to suppress his boiling blood any longer, he coughed up a mouthful of thick blood with a "pfft".

He staggered, trying to steady himself, but his legs trembled as if he were drunk. Each step he took left a deep footprint in the ground. In the end, with only a stubborn will, he managed to stand on the spot, but he was barely breathing and his face was ashen.

Despite his physical discomfort, the monk asked in a hoarse voice, "Your Excellency, who exactly is he?"

Gu Santong's cold gaze swept over the dying monk. With a casual flick of his right index and middle fingers, two sharp, knife-like gusts of energy pierced the air and struck the monk's kneecaps with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ugh—!" The monk let out another painful howl, then collapsed to his knees.

"Kneel down first, and I'll ask you questions later."

After saying this indifferently, Gu Santong turned to look at Zhou Zhiruo beside him.

However, the moment his gaze fell upon Zhou Zhiruo, Gu Santong's previously indifferent expression instantly transformed into his usual laziness.

After helping Zhou Zhiruo sit down, Gu Santong quickly took out two pill bottles from his pocket.

The two elixir bottles were no more than two inches in size, one white and one blue.

After opening the blue pill bottle and pouring out one pill, Gu Santong pressed it into Zhou Zhiruo's mouth.

"The medicine that Gu Xiaozi prepared, he said, is enough to restore most of the body in a quarter of an hour, as long as the meridians are not completely severed."

Despite not fainting, Zhou Zhiruo managed to swallow the pill.

As soon as the pill entered her stomach, Zhou Zhiruo felt a gentle medicinal power, like the midday sun in winter, spreading throughout her body.

In just a hundred breaths, Zhou Zhiruo felt her discomfort had lessened considerably.

In response, Zhou Zhiruo mobilized the Nine Yang True Qi within her body to refine the medicinal power.

Seeing that Zhou Zhiruo was already able to use her internal energy to heal herself, Gu Santong thought to himself, "Wow, the medicine this kid concocts is so effective?"

Although Gu Santong did not take Zhou Zhiruo's pulse just now, he had seen the whole process of Zhou Zhiruo's fight.

He naturally knew the approximate extent of Zhou Zhiruo's injuries.

In other circumstances, such an injury would require at least ten days to half a month of bed rest before one could even get out of bed.

But now, in less than a hundred breaths, under the treatment of this medicine, he was able to start mobilizing his internal energy.

After understanding the effects of the pill, Gu Santong looked at Zhou Zhiruo, then resealed the blue pill bottle and silently tucked it into his pocket.

"Good stuff, consider it a delivery fee."

After saying that, Gu Santong looked at another white elixir bottle.

Thinking of the "Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom" inside the elixir bottle, Gu Santong couldn't help but smack his lips.

"Damn it, why didn't I have a junior brother like this before? Not only does he have guards when he goes out, but he also provides me with this kind of medicine called Tianxiang Doukou. This little bastard is really generous."

　The next chapter will probably be around 1 or 2 PM!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)